A pressing need to save the world
by tuuliii
Summary: A story about how the Doctor took little Francis into adventure. My FIRST story, so please review. Bad summary, sorry.


**AN. This is my first story ever, so please review. And very big thanks to my friend who translated this!**

 **I do NOT own ''Reign'' or ''Doctor Who''!**

Chapter 1.

Francis sat in a tree listening to the birds singing. He was alone because he had run away from his tutor. To be honest he was afraid of the tutor, and he wasn't very interested in mathematics or war strategies. In his own opinion he was way too young to be learning that kind of stuff anyway.

And now he was alone, and determined to not return to the castle for a few hours. The sun shone through the clouds. It was a beautiful midsummer day, and the courtyard and garden of the castle were overflowing with people. That's why Francis decided to dash to the woods instead. He had heard that the woods are dangerous, and that he mustn't go alone. Yet he and his brother Bash escaped there together whenever it was possible. Bash wasn't there today though.

While listening to the sounds of the woods, Francis suddenly heard a strange sound. Sort of a groaning 'whoooop whoooop' sound.

The was repeated over and over again, but was soon gone. The sound made little Francis feel scared, threatened, and sad. And yet the very same sound made Francis feel like everything was going to be okay, and that he was safe. He stood on a branch and tried to find the source of the sound. At first he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but then he saw something peculiar behind a large tree.

Behind the tree was a strange dark blue box, with white windows and two doors.

Francis jumped down from the tree and took a few curious steps towards the box.

On the door it said 'Police Public Call Box.'

He didn't have time to wonder what the words meant, because the door of the box opened. And a strange man with odd clothes stepped out. Francis just managed to hide on the other side of the box before the man looked his way. The man was wearing pants that gave away his shiny brown shoes and his ankles, a raggedy, worn-down brown coat, and a blue bow tie. The man looked around for a moment before he turned to his box and started talking to it with a funny accent:

"You've brought me to the middle of nowhere! There is absolutely nothing interesting here! We're in the middle of a forest! I would guess... around the 16th century or the 17th century! No! No no! It's 1500...you can almost smell it in the air. But there isn't ..." The man's sentence was interrupted when he noticed Francis, who had stepped away from the box to gaze at the stranger.

"Well...you're here. I'd guess that you're not from an ordinary family. Are you, perhaps, the son of a local lord or duke?" The man faltered and took a mysterious gadget from his pocket. It looked like a stick made of metal. He pointed the stick at little Francis and pressed a button. The gadget started to hum.

"A human, surely...tell me, little man. Who are you and why are you in the woods without an adult? Where are your parents?" he asked.

Until now Francis had only gawked at the man's clothing and accent. But now it was his turn to speak.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Its called the sonic screwdriver. Now answer my question. Who are you, and where do you come from?" The doctor asked.

"I'm Francis. I sort of ran away from my scary tutor for a while. I often play in this forest with my brother, so I came here. Mother and father are doing...something. And I am heir to the throne of France." Francis said confidently to the man, who looked a bit surprised at the moment.

"And now it's your turn to answer my questions. Who are you? And what in the world is that box you arrived in?" he asked.

The man spun around once and clapped his hands together.

"Well,now. That's a bit of a bugger. I'm the Doctor. Just the Doctor. I'm a Timelord from the planet Gallifrey. And this is my stolen time-machine.I'm 900 years old and I can travel anywhere throughout time and space." the Doctor said quickly. Francis looked at him strangely and raised his eyebrow.

"But what is your real name? Nobody's name is just 'the Doctor'. And what about that 'time-machine' of yours?"

My name is the Doctor. Just the Doctor, and like I said, it can go anywhere in time and space. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want", he said.

"She's called the TARDIS, which is short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space", the Doctor summarized.

Francis walked around the TARDIS and returned to the Doctor with a big smile on his face.

"Amazing! Can I come?!" he asked, now excited. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to travel forwards in time, backwards in time, or even go to the moon! Oh boy would Francis have a story to tell Bash next time they met.

"I don't know...you're a prince. What if something were to happen to you? What would I do then? And I don't know if traveling would be good for someone as young as you", the Doctor contemplated. Why was this boy alone?

"Listen, Francis. What's your last name?" the Doctor asked. Francis thought that that question was rather dumb.

"Valois", Francis answered and an awkward silence ensued.

"Oh...Oooooooh...Francis Valois? Fraaaaaancis Valois", the Doctor started acting weird. Francis snickered while watching him.

"Yes, Francis Valois", he repeated.

"How old are you...6...7...8?" the Doctor inquired with a wide grin.

"I turned 7 this spring...", Francis answered him.

The Doctor looked like he had remembered something, and he had a sad smile on his face now. Even though the Doctor was saying things that were weirder than weird, little Francis liked this man. He was the type of person that all little children liked. He was so different. Not like any other man at court. Francis had never liked being treated differently just because he was the dauphin and the king-to-be. But the Doctor treated him like he was an average 7-year-old boy.

"Did you know that you have your mothers hair? Blond and curly", the Doctor told Francis. He had remembered that wonderful day many years ago.

"Y-you...know...my mother?" Francis asked, flabbergasted. "Has my mother traveled with you?"

"Yes. Sweet little girl. If I remember correctly she was...7...no...8 years old. I kind of stole her away from that horrible monastery. I found out her name later, and I was afraid I'd changed the course of history, but thankfully that didn't happen. I stopped by to see her the night before her wedding. She had...grown", the Doctor sighed. "When she was 8 I took her-"

"You took me far away. You took me to a library that was so big, it was just called the Library with a capital L. It contained all the books that had ever been written. There were books everywhere and the Library was full of people and other creatures. When you brought me back, not even a second had passed. It was exactly the same time as it was when we had left. Yet we were gone for hours. Then you told me that if I ever need you again, I need only call your name, and you'll be there", said a feminine voice, interrupting the Doctor. The first thing that popped into little Francis's head when hearing the voice was that his mother had found him, and now he would be in trouble for running away. But instead of punishing her son Catherine had started talking about faraway. The Doctor and Catherine stared at each other intently, until they hugged. The hug was so intense that Catherine's feet no longer touched the ground

"Catherine! Catherine de'Medici! You...you've grown! Look at you! A happily married queen with children!"

Francis had never before seen a smile so bright on his mother's face.. The Doctor put her down still laughing and with his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not quite sure about that happily married part, but other than that you're completely right."

"How...how did you find me?" "The TARDIS took me here, and I found Francis", said the Doctor.

"I was riding on horseback when I heard the sound of the TARDIS landing. That's a sound that you can never forget. I came as soon as I could. Then I saw him", Catherine said as she looked Francis in the eye.

"We'll talk about this at home. This is the second time you've ran away this week. How many times do I have to tell you that the woods are dangerous?!" Catherine scolded her son as the Doctor opened the TARDIS door.

"Now that you're here, would you like to come inside?" he asked, and stepped inside the time-machine. Francis followed him immediately.

"Woah...it's...it's...bigger on the inside!" he said, and quickly ran outside.

"Why does everyone say 'it's bigger on the inside'? Why doesn't anybody say 'it's smaller in the outside'?" the Doctor wondered out loud. "Well, how about a quick trip?! Francis! I know you want to travel!" the a Doctor said, now obviously excited. "Of course, if it's okay with your mother", he carefully added.

Silence in the TARDIS.

"I think Francis can go. I must return to the castle, Henry needs me", Catherine turned away.

"Doctor...bring him back in one piece, or I might...poison...you...", Catherine whispered in the Doctor's ear.

"Poison? You can use poison?", he asked cautiously.

Catherine smirked at the Doctor: "I'm pretty good at it too. And I hope we meet again. I'd love to have a chat with you", she said as she backed out of the TARDIS and closed the door, leaving Francis and the Doctor alone.

"Well, where do you want to go? The past? The future? A strange planet? Or to another country? Did you know that the planet Barcelona is lovely this time of year?" the Doctor asked.

Francis thought for a moment before responding with two words: "Surprise me."

At once after Francis said that, the Doctor pulled a lever. The TARDIS started to him in a familiar way and the Doctor yelled something that he hadn't yelled in a long time. At least not since he had last regenerated.

 _"Allons-y!"_

 **AN. Sooooooo tell me what you liked**


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